Note: This is a SUMMARY of the Commissioners Meeting for the purposes of a Press Release. These are not the official minutes of the meeting.
Review of Actions Taken in the Washington County
Board of County Commissioners Meeting
October 17, 2006
Due to elevator Repair at 100 W. Washington Street, this meeting was held at the Department of Water Quality Public meeting room, located at 16232 Elliott Parkway, in Williamsport, Maryland
JOINT MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATION:
The Commissioners held a joint meeting with the
Washington CoUnty BOARD OF EDUCATION to hear a report on the 2006 Maryland School
ASSESSMENTS, to discuss a PARTNERSHIP on the use of Program Open Space funds
at Middle Schools, and discuss school safety aNd security issues.
CITIZENS PARTICIPATION
Each week
the Board of County Commissioners sets aside time to hear from citizens of Washington
County on matters of importance to the community.
Tom Berry
of Rohrersville commented against proposed County support of the Hallowed Ground
National Heritage Area partnership.
COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS AND COMMENTS
Commissioner
Jim Kercheval reported on his participation in the United Way Day of Caring
event held last week, and commended the many volunteers that participated
in the activities. The Planning Commission held a special meeting on Monday
night to discuss the McCleary company request for an Industrial General overlay
designation on a parcel of land that company owns, and to discuss text amendments
to the Water and Sewer Plan and the Subdivision Plan. The Commissioner served
as a judge for several canine events during the Canal Walk sponsored by the
Humane Society last weekend. Kercheval discussed a recent article in the
National Association of Counties "County
News" publication
dealing with a solid waste plant in Florida that vaporizes trash at a temperature
of nearly 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit using Plasma Arc Gasification. Byproducts
of the system are clean gas that could be used to generate electricity and
an ashy substance used in building roads. The process was developed
by NASA over 40 years ago, and has been successfully used in Japan for four
years. Kercheval said the Board should study the process as a way to deal
with trash generation in the future. If after investigation it proves
as a viable option, it could permanently resolve longterm landfill issues
and save the County tens of millions of dollars in construction and closure
costs. Public Works Director Gary Rohrer has been in touch with counterparts
in Florida who recently approved a contract to build a County facility and
was directed to gather more information. Commissioner
Dori Nipps commented favorably on the Community Prayer breakfast held
last week, and told the Board that the Women’s Commission installed
new officers at its meeting last week.
Commissioners’ President
Greg Snook commented on a letter of thanks from the Blue Ridge, Pennsylvania
Library for the Board’s annual $1,500 contribution. The Library is supported
because it provides services to Washington County Citizens living in the Cascade
area. Snook congratulated the Maryland Symphony on its 25th anniversary. A letter
has been received from the State Department of Education’s Public School
Construction Department on rules for forward-funding of school construction
projects. That letter will be distributed to the Commissioners for informational
purposes, Snook said.
OTHER BUSINESS
County Administrator's
Comments: County Administrator Rod Shoop requested approval of waiver of Permit
and Inspection fees for the Leitersburg Fire Company’s plan to construct
a new Fire Hall. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
A request
to advertise a Motor Equipment Operator position in the Highways Department
Southern Section was approved by unanimous vote.
Request for
approval of a change order for Asbestos Abatement at the Courthouse project
that would add approximately $124,000 to the project cost was also approved.
The abatement process has ended, Shoop said, and the change order provides closure
on that part of the contract.
Appointments to Boards and Commissions: County
Clerk Joni Bittner told the Board that the Commission for Women
requested that Terri Blair be appointed to fill an unexpired term. The measure
was approved by unanimous vote.
NEW JOBS TAX CREDIT PROGRAM
Tim Troxell, EDC Executive Director and Deputy Director Cassandra Latimer
brought a request, for approval of suggested changes to eligibility criteria
for Washington County’s New Jobs Tax Credit program before the Board.
The New Jobs Tax Credit program provides eligible companies with credits on
Washington County’s real property tax and business personal property.
The credits are a graduated amount over a 6-year period and eligible companies
may also qualify for a 6-year credit on Maryland’s corporate income tax,
personal income tax, or insurance premiums tax. Credits are reserved for companies
conducting business within high-technology industries and offering well-paying
jobs. Companies in the restaurant, retail, hospitality or warehouse and distribution
industries are excluded. This program has been utilized by only one company
since the credits were enacted by the Board of County Commissioners July 1,
2002. In an effort to fine tune Washington County’s business attraction
and retention tools, the EDC reviewed the effectiveness of the County’s
program. By reviewing business prospects from July 2002 to present, it is apparent
that changing the criteria would make the program a better tool for business
recruitment. Under existing criteria, a business would be eligible if it performed
30,000 square feet of new construction or leased space, and created at least
50 new jobs, half of which must pay at least 150% of the average weekly wage,
amounting to $24.23 per hour or $50,398 per year. Under the suggested changes,
businesses would need 10,000 square feet of new construction or leased space,
create at least 25 new jobs, with 50% of the new jobs paying at least 135%
of the average weekly wage that would amount to $21.80 per hour or $45,344
per year. The figures were based on current average weekly wage per Washington
County worker of $16.15 per hour or $33,592 per year. Latimer told the Board
that about 20 new business prospects could benefit from the rule changes, but
only two prospects would benefit if the rules stayed as they were. Commissioner
Snook requested a report on the credit program be given in 6 months. A motion,
to approve the changes in the tax credit program and make necessary amendments
to the resolution governing that program was approved by unanimous vote.
NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA CERTIFICATION PROCESS
Tom Riford
of the Convention and Visitors' Bureau and Cate Magennis Wyatt, President of
the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership (JTHGP) brought this request
before the Board, that the Commissioners support Washington County being a part
of the new national heritage area (JTHG). Additional grant money for marketing
Washington County as a tourism destination could be made available. The State
of Maryland recently certified the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area (HCWHA),
which includes Carroll, Frederick, and Washington Counties. More than
$300,000 has been granted to entities and municipalities in the heritage area,
with $200,000 in Washington County. The State heritage area’s management
plan included pursuit of National Heritage Area designation. The HCWHA approved
being a part of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground, which began in 1996 as
a public–private partnership to raise national awareness of the heritage
and cultural resources along the Old Carolina Road, from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,
to Monticello, Virginia. The County is already part of the State Heritage Area,
and this would be a National designation. Wyatt said the designation would open
up more tourism and grant opportunities and would not affect, impair or abridge
the rights of property owners. The national heritage area would not impact Washington
County existing land use regulations or local zoning. A motion to support moving
ahead with the program was approved on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Munson voting "no”.
INTERGOVERNMENTAL PURCHASE: DELL BLADE SERVER SYSTEMS
County Purchasing
Agent Karen Luther and Ron Whitt, Director of the Information Technologies (IT)
Department requested that the Board authorize an intergovernmental cooperative
purchase of Dell blade servers from Dell Computer Marketing Corporation of Round
Rock, Texas via a Western States Contracting Alliance (WSCA) contract for a
total amount of $45,645.54. The County is migrating from old server technology
by purchasing blade server technology for deployment in the County’s Geographic
Information System implementation and to replace three existing servers that
are 5 years old. Blade server technology combined with server virtualization
technology will provide for higher server availability, redundancy and better
utilization of system resources. Whitt told the Board that the technology would
save the county through reduction in personnel hours, less down time and space
saved. Acquisition of the equipment through the intergovernmental cooperative
purchase eliminates the administrative time and costs associated with the County
bid process for both the IT Department and the Purchasing Department. The
measure was approved by unanimous vote.
HUMAN SERVICE TRANSPORTATION COORDINATION GRANT
Health Department
Assistant Health Officer Rod MacRae, and Washington County Disability Advisory
Committee Vice-Chair Bill Beard brought this request, to accept a $40,000 grant
from the Maryland Transportation Administration, before the Board. The
grant would fund development of a plan to coordinate and consolidate certain
aspects of human service transportation currently being conducted by non-profit
organizations. Last November, recommendations of the Transportation
Coordination Sub-committee of Washington County’s Disabilities Advisory
Committee were presented to the Board. At that time, it was recommended
that a coordinator of transportation be hired to review routes and destinations
of human service vehicles and develop alternatives to the current methods, the
intent being to reduce duplication and to provide improved service. The
Commissioners approved applying for funding in the form of a grant from the
Maryland Transportation Administration to allow the process to move forward. The
Washington County Health Department was to be the lead agency in the procurement
of the funding and would act as the chief fiscal agent for the Disabilities
Advisory Committee. A number of non-profit agencies, including the Department
of Social Services, Commission on Aging, and Health Department have agreed to
be a part of the project. A coordination and consolidation plan will assist
the County in leveraging further state funding for transportation systems. There
would be no fiscal impact on the County during the first year of the grant.
The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
Commissioners' President Greg Snook receives 250th Anniversary of Fort Frederick Commemorative Platter
PRESENTATION: FRIENDS OF FORT FREDERICK
Betsy Lillard,
and Ralph Young, representing the Friends of Fort Frederick State Park, presented
the Commissioners with a Commemorative Platter marking the 250th anniversary
of that landmark. Fort Frederick, near Big Pool, was prominent in defense of
the Colonies during the French and Indian War. The Commissioners provided financial
support for the 250th Anniversary, celebrated in June of 2006. Commissioners'
President Greg Snook accepted the commemorative plate on behalf of the Board.
PLEASANT VIEW HEIGHTS AGREEMENT
Attorney
Jason Divelbiss, brought this issue before the Board for discussion. Unique
circumstances and intervening changes to the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance
resulted in a delay in plat approval for the 17-home Section "E" of
Pleasant View Heights development, on Downsville Pike near Rench Road. A concept
plan was presented to the County in April 2002, and conditioned on receipt of
outstanding agency comments, preliminary plat approval was received on August
4, 2003. Thereafter, the developer passed away. The project is now
eligible for final plat approval, but recent changes to the APFO cause the development
to fail the schools test. Section E is expected to generate 6 elementary,
3 middle school, and 4 high school students. Springfield Middle and Williamsport
High are currently considered adequate. Fountainrock Elementary is over capacity,
but core facility improvements are planned for 2009. This development would
have fallen under the transition policy, and would not be subject to the schools
test, if the preliminary plat had been approved prior to July 1, 2003. The developer’s
estate is asking that the Board authorize the Planning Director to approve the
final plat pursuant to the 2003 approval of the preliminary plat or as an exception
to the Transition Policy. Commissioners' President Snook told Divelbiss that
the Board of Education is scheduled to discuss adequacy policies in the meeting
to be held later in the evening. The County Attorney was asked to render an
opinion on which set of student capacity figures should be used to develop a
mitigation plan in this case, those in effect at the time of the preliminary
plat action in February 2005, or current capacity figures. Once that opinion
has been made, the issue will be brought back before the Board for a decision.
RESOLUTION: PROMISSORY NOTE MODIFICATION, AIRPORT T-HANGARS
County Attorney
John Martirano brought this request, for a resolution authorizing a Promissory
Note Modification Agreement relating to a 1991 loan for T-hangars at Hagerstown
Regional Airport (HGR), to the Board. By Loan Agreement dated June 6, 1991,
the County Commissioners received a loan from the Department of Business
and Economic Development in the principal amount of $1,906,691.70. In
June, the County made a formal request to the Department to modify the
terms of the loan agreement requesting that the balloon payment now due
for the outstanding balance be eliminated and the adjusted quarterly
payments of principal and interest be extended for an additional 10 years,
with a complete payback during that 10 year term. The principal balance
outstanding as of June 27, 2006 is $1,365,381.34. The Department has
agreed to the request and has prepared a Promissory Note Modification
Agreement. Budget and Finance Director Debra Murray told the Board that
the amortized payment over ten years would save about $199,000 in interest.
The measure was approved by unanimous vote.